“The job and career you may have today probably doesn’t even exist now,” is something I tell my 2 kids and the college students I teach.

I mean, perhaps the career they’ll have could closely tie to one in today’s current market, but how they work and what they’ll do is something that technology will open the doors to.

For example, the Pinterest phenomenon quickly jumped into the everyday realm of life, relationships, and sharing. A need to save great ideas, likes, interests, and hobbies, mixed with the desire to share them with friends, acquaintances, and the general public human race.

BOOM! Pinterest exploded and found its way into our everyday vocabulary.

Even through my husband of 23 years continues to toss out all sorts of “memorabilia” I found special enough to save due to my sentimental spirit, I recently found something “special” in our attic.

Yes, I found a 1990’s early model of Pinterest, minus the Internet, that is. In my quest to be super mom when our kids were little, I read and gathered all sorts of crafty ideas to try with them. From taffy to flubber, I posted ideas into a magnetic photo album of kid crafts. And when other “mom-friends” came over, we’d share additional ideas. And they’d jealously gaze at my fun collection of recipes, plans, and pictures to use at a moment’s notice on a rainy day to engage and enthrall my kids.

When I saw this relic (and before my sentimental-stuff-throwing husband got a hold of it!), I realized that this was my non-tech Pinterest of the mid-1990’s!

It got me wondering, “What do we regularly do now that we enjoy that one day technology will help us do as if it were on steroids?” Who knows? But I look forward to seeing!

And maybe, just maybe, one of my kids or college students will make their living providing easy access for people to do what they love more easily. And I’m betting their work will be done in ways that today don’t yet exist.

What common “non-tech” thing do we do today, that in 20 years will be a regular, household process, known by a catchy name that technology will make possible? Figure that out, design, develop and deploy it…and you’ll create your career and income stream! Ignite your potential with a bit of creative dreaming!

Dr. Scott remains an active Digital Immigrant, forever learning from the Digital Natives in her life. It’s the next generation that teaches her so much! And it’s that learning that helps her be a successful Professor and Director of Training & Development. http://www.LearningPursuits.com

Generally 30-plus year-olds’ answer to this question is no longer, “A fireman, NFL player, Professional Dancer, or Mountain Climber.” No, typically mid-life folks answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with another question: “Shouldn’t I be past this?!”

Today’s languishing economy forces the continued quest for better work, more secure and/or profitable work, or simply the quest for a job. While this often feels problematic for those in this current workforce, it could be worse.

Consider the workforce generations surrounding the Great Depression compared to now. People then were forced to leave their “professions” – but fortunately, today we think less of our work as a profession we are tied to for life. Today it is the norm to switch careers multiple times before hitting age 30. Change is seen as a way of life. The ability to adapt to change is often seen as the criterion that sets people up for success as they navigate their careers.

Career Choices Abound as a Way of Life

So facing issues related to the work people really want to do seem to be a very normal fabric of our society. Each week I encounter people wrestling with questions about their next best career moves. I hear people eagerly initiating conversations centered on strategic business building steps to grow their business.

Here are 4 coaching tips to guide you if you face the internal (and often haunting) question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” – regardless of your age!

1. Passion over Position – What aspects of certain work stirs your heart’s emotions and drives up your energy levels? I’m not talking about a position or title. What parts can you articulate of certain work you have done or that you think would be great to be a part of? Those passions are things to look for in whatever work you seek or do.

2. Pursue Personal Springboards – How can you tweek your current (or past) work into a springboard for future opportunities? What can you be capturing now to build your personal portfolio that may help you demonstrate the value you can bring to an organization in the future?

3. Attitude Brings Latitude – How can you find contentment in whatever space (whether mentally or physically) you are at currently? What is a positive spin you can put on 3 things today in your work life (or quest for work)? Attitudes are infectious. Develop your ability to find and focus on positives – even when the poison of the negatives appear much more readily! Become the positive mindset that employers want to infect their workforce.

4. Navigate the Networking Niche – There is great value in asking those you value, “Who do you know that you think I’d like to know as I … [grow my business, look for work, etc.]? Good-willed people enjoy connecting people. Who do you know and respect in some capacity that you can connect with about whom they can introduce you to? Make those conversations occur.

In today’s economy and in our current generations, the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is one that is cyclically answered throughout life! Change is a constant; adaptability and learning agility are a must.